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  • From: Fellenz <fellenz AT fltg.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Co-Ops
  • Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:55:34 -0500

Hi Richard,

What you are describing is pretty common with non-perishable foods. When we lived in the Cincinnati area and my kids were small, my wife ran one for young mothers. She ordered from a 7th Day Adventist Distributor in Michigan. We would get several copies of a catalog each month and circulate the catalogs amongst the group and assemble an order. On order day, the truck would show up, the members would show up, the bulk items would be divided and about 2 hours later it was all done.
For fresh produce, it will be tougher to balance supply and demand. Unless your group is fairly large, the demand reasonably uniform and with sufficient quantities to justify delivering stuff to your farm, you may have difficulty finding growers interested in participating. I worked with a nearby 300 member vegetables only CSA this season which did special orders along the lines of the Co-op idea you have. They would let their members know when a special item (like strawberries, raspberries, honey, blueberries) would be available, take orders and then relay the order to the supplier. In most cases, the CSA organizers were also willing to pick-up at the farm. The program seemed to work fairly well for items that were offered only a few times through the season. I'm not sure how well it would work if every item offered required a special order each week. As an alternative, you could consider a more conventional retail operation, buy in bulk from other growers and sell retail at your stand or through an email "special order" type system.

Andy
www.FellenzFamilyFarm.com

Richard Stewart wrote:
Well, I feel dumb. :)

I guess I have no clue what a Co-Op is.

So let me try to define this then.

An individual acts as the go between. That person heads the "co- op" (for lack of a better term right now). THis person is the contact between a small group of people and the farmer(s).

Its not a CSA but it involves a group of people that purchase produce as a group. Each week they are sent a list of available foods/items/ goods. They then choose product and quantity and the goods arrive for them to distribute among members. No money is put down with the possible exception of a membership or a deposit for totes.

On the grower/supplier's end each week you get a list to fill.

That is the rough concept. The buyers can pic up the food or have it delivered at a central location. The payments are received upon delivery. Old totes are replaced with full ones.

No money is exchanged prior to a season. There are no shares and is flexible for the buyers regardless of family size of needs.

So, now, what do I call this? Is there a name for it?

Thanks everyone for helping out so far.

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1848

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com
rstewart AT zoomtown.com



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